Assistant
by writer writing
Summary: A look at how "Perry" might have been if Lois had been in the episode. The events of "Perry" haven't changed.


"The shock wave from this type of CME is so strong that it smashes the Earth's magnetic field, unleashing a geomagnetic storm. In layman's terms," the reporter on the TV screen was reporting.

"Do you believe that there are powers greater than we can know somewhere in the universe?" Perry asked.

Lois wasn't sure where this questioning was going. "You mean like God? Sure. I suppose I do."

"Hey, listen. Do you mind if I switch back to the game?" asked the bartender, interrupting their philosophical discussion.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for the Metropolis Sharks. To Littleville, Kansas and all the little Kans-assians in it," he said in a toast.

Lois snorted. She appreciated his humor. "Littleville. Only in Kansas, right? I've never been in Smallville myself, but I have a cousin who lives here."

He looked interested at that piece of information. Then he turned back to the bartender. "One more."

"Look, pal, we don't want any trouble here. I think you might have had enough."

Lois agreed with the man. Perry didn't hold his liquor well, but try telling him that.

"If you want trouble, you just try cutting me off," Perry threatened.

Lois could tell the man was about to throw him out. She held up a hand to tell him to give her a minute. To Perry she said, "We'd better get going anyway. We don't want to upset the bigwigs at XStyles."

"You're right, kid. Besides, I should be educating you on all the ends and outs of a tabloid cable show."

"Don't come back," the bartender warned as they went out the door. Perry looked back at him with a disgruntled expression but fortunately he kept going.

"Small-town friendly, my butt," Perry remarked once they were outside. "I'm sorry they wouldn't give you a beer. I mean what are you a senior in college?"

"High school, Mr. White." She had hoped that since she was with Perry they might not ask for ID but that was a small town for you. Maybe it was just as well, considering how sloshed Perry was.

"Oh, well you seem so much older."

"Look, why don't I drive?" Lois offered with an outstretched hand.

"Lane, how many times do I have to tell you?" he said, getting irritated. "You are here on this little program as my assistant. I call the shots and that means I do the driving."

She rolled her eyes and got in on the passenger side. There was no use arguing with him when he was drunk. She'd only known Perry for a little while, but she had already learned that.

She wondered what she had been thinking when she signed up for the program offered by Metropolis High. She knew what she had been thinking, 2 weeks of no classes. She had no real interest in journalism especially this tabloid, paranormal stuff. She had been surprised that they had let her do it. Her attendance wasn't rock solid and she wasn't even on the school paper. The required essay on why she wanted to win the spot must have been more persuasive than she thought.

She had to admit that she had come to like Perry White. There was no denying he had a problem with alcohol, but he was a decent man when you got past that and he had been a great journalist before he got a job at XStyles. She admired how he didn't let stories go. She wondered why he had given it all up for this crumby TV show and had asked him as much, but he refused to answer her.

sss

" N-no, ye-, no, I-I, I-I'll find it, I- Yeah, I know this... Yeah, uh, no. No, I have not been drinking. Thank you for caring," Perry said, hanging up. Lois had dozed off.

He saw a teenager in the middle of the road. He swerved to miss and hit a utility pole.

Clark sped over and ripped the car door off to pull Perry and Lois to safety.

"You two okay?" asked Clark.

"I think so," Lois answered, who had woke up by this time. To Perry she said, "Now do you think I should have been the one to drive?"

Perry ignored Lois' sarcastic question. "You pulled the door right off the car with your bare hands? You walked right through the power lines."

Lois smiled apologetically at what she thought was Perry's ravings.

"You're a little drunk, Mr... "

"White. Perry White."

"Well, you and your daughter should probably—"

"I am not his daughter," Lois interrupted. "The name is Lois Lane."

"You should probably call the paramedics to check you both out," Clark advised.

"I am fine," she insisted, "but that would be a good idea in Mr. White's case."

"I don't need a kid telling me what to do," Perry retorted.

"You're not in the best frame of mind to be making your own decisions," Lois responded.

Clark had never met two more bull-headed people in his life. "Look here they come now," he said, interrupting their arguing.

The paramedics were quick and one of the first things they did was to give Perry a breathalyzer test.

"Wow, your breathalyzer is off the charts," the paramedic commented.

"I'm going to ride to the hospital with him," Lois said to the paramedics.

"You should probably let them check you out too," Clark tried again.

She waved him off as she climbed into the back of the ambulance.

He watched them ride away and then went back home.

sss

"Listen, I just got off the phone with the hospital. Seems your Mr. Perry White checked himself out late last night," Jonathan told his son.

"The paramedics said his breathalyzer was off the charts."

"Well, what do you think he saw, son?" Jonathan asked. "For that matter, what did the girl he was with see?"

"I don't think she was paying me a lot of attention, Dad, and they probably don't even remember my name."

"Clark! Clark Kent! Thank you," came the thunderous voice of Perry White.

"Yeah," was Jonathan's comment.

"Last time I saw you, you were frisbeeing the door off my car and ignoring the high voltage lines."

"Mr. White," Clark started.

"I was trying to figure out which of the four Clarks I should be thanking when they hauled me off in the ambulance. You must be Mr. Kent?"

"Yes, I am. I'm certainly glad you're feeling better," Jonathan said.

Lois thought the Kents seemed like nice, wholesome people. Mr. Kent was certainly tactful about the feeling better part. Perry had been flat out drunk; there was no illness or injury to it.

"Well, that's relative. My car is crunched, this hillbilly cartoon you have as a sheriff has suspended my driver's license on a DUI, and my assignment editor is screaming for my head."

"And again that's why you should have let me be the one to drive and we wouldn't be in this situation to begin with."

"This girl never shuts up," Perry said in annoyance, but Clark could tell he liked her.

"You're a reporter?" Clark asked.

"In a past life. At the moment, I'm the advance man for "XStyles", cable TV's one-stop for the paranormally inclined."

"And he's good at it," Lois added. She didn't know why she felt the need to add it, but she did.

"So you work with him?" Clark asked, studying Lois closer. She hadn't looked that old to him.

"Not that it's any of your business, but it's a short high school internship," Lois told him.

"And what brings you two here to Smallville?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, I'm researching a piece about the meteor shower and the bizarre phenomena that it spawned."

"Don't tell me you believe any of that nonsense," Jonathan said, looking back and forth between Lois and Perry.

"It's right up there with the tooth fairy," was Perry's reply.

Lois gave a small smile, glad she hadn't been saddled with a nut.

"Don't you need tools for a job like that?" Perry asked, taking note of the fence.

"Uh, Mr. White, Lois, you really didn't come all this way just to thank me, did you?" Clark asked, conveniently changing the subject, Lois thought. Lois wasn't so sure Perry wasn't onto something with the fence, not that she believed he could touch power lines and pull car doors off.

"No, I didn't. I-I thought we should discuss a settlement." Perry said.

"Settlement?" Jonathan and Lois both echoed.

"I didn't off-road my car for laughs, Mr. Kent. I swerved to miss your son. Look, I'll make this easy on you. I need a local who knows the territory to ferry me and my assistant around. You loan me Clark for a couple days, we'll call it even."

Lois winced. She hadn't known they had come to blackmail a nice, little family, but the Kents reluctantly agreed to it. 1 hour later found them on Smallville's main street after checking out 2 holes in the earth.

"Two meteor craters, that's it. You don't want to see anything else?" Clark asked as they headed to a place called the Talon.

"Well, blown-out buildings and sinkholes are background, Clark. Now I'm looking for substance, texture. The human dimension. Remember that, Lane, when you become a journalist. Two things sell in the world of journalism: tragedy and sex, both of which have the human dimension."

"I'm sure that's true, Mr. White, but like I've told you this is just a 2 week stint for me. I'm not making this a career."

He brushed her off like he didn't believe a word of it.

Clark still looked shocked at Perry's piece of journalistic advice. Lois couldn't help but laugh, "You really are the poster boy for Smallville. You should change your name to Smallville, Clark. The truth may not be pretty, but you know he's right."

He closed his mouth. "I happen to like news stories with a positive spin like an anonymous donor or a family reuniting."

"That's a nice piece for old ladies and Smallvillians, but even so, don't tell me your eyes don't linger over stories with deaths and sex scandals."

"Only because I'm horrified by it."

"So you admit it, Smallville."

"I'm not admitting anything," he said annoyed that she had to be right and annoyed at the nickname.

Perry looked back forth between them with a bemused expression, "I have a feeling you two kids have a future together. At what or for how long I don't know, but there's chemistry between you two whether it's as rivals or lovers."

This time they were both stunned speechless. Before either of them could find the words to reply to the outrageous prediction Perry had just made, the young woman at the counter started speaking.

"Clark, is everything all right? Pete waited for you until after ten o'clock last night," Lana told him.

"Uh, it's a long story," Clark said. "This is Lois Lane and this is—"

"Hi. Perry White," Perry said, introducing himself. "I'd like a triple cappuccino and a couple of those glazed crullers, and an interview with Smallville's very own cover girl."

Lois eyed the girl at the counter, trying to decipher why she deserved an interview. She had no idea what Perry was talking about but the girl didn't look too thrilled at the suggestion.

"What are you doing?" Clark asked in surprise.

"It's called getting the story," he answered. To Lana, he said, "Uh, nothing fancy, Miss Lang, just a simple Q & A. You know, uh, how is little Miss Meteor coping 14 years after the big bang?"

Realization dawned on Lois. She still didn't recognize the girl but she did know about the meteor shower that had occurred 14 years ago and the name sounded familiar now that she thought about it. It seemed like her cousin Chloe had a friend by that name, according to the emails. Now that she thought about it Chloe might have mentioned a Clark and a Pete too, not that it surprised her they knew each other in a town of this size. Before she could ask if they knew her cousin. Lana gave Perry a tart reply.

"Maybe this is a joke to you, but my parents died that day."

"And I'm sorry, but that makes you newsworthy," Perry told her.

"That's it, you're leaving," Clark said.

Lois sighed. It's not that she didn't agree that Perry was being a little abrupt and insensitive, a trait she could well relate to, but it was clear that Clark Kent had feelings for this girl. She didn't know what it was that disappointed her so much. It's not like she had her sights set on the farm boy,

"Wha- You know, either she talks to me now or she faces the cameras in the morning," Perry said.

"Clark, I can't believe you're with these people!" Lana cried in indignation.

"Lana—" Clark started to explain.

"Maybe you should all leave," Lana said with venom in her voice.

Lois was somewhat relieved. It wasn't that she was falling for Clark. Lana just had an attitude problem, tragic circumstances or not, that no guy as nice as Clark should have to put up with. He had told Perry to go before Lana had, a fact she clearly wasn't acknowledging because she was too busy playing victim. People were guilty purely by association in this girl's mind and she acted as if she owned the place and Clark too. "Maybe you should take one of your little muffins and—"

Clark took her firmly but gently by the arm and dragged her out of the Talon along with Perry, knowing the comment wouldn't end on a polite note.

"You didn't tell me Lana was part of the agenda," he said, looking at the both of them in an accusatory manner once they were outside.

"And you didn't tell me you knew her," said Perry.

"And not my agenda," Lois retorted. "I don't even know the girl, but I'll tell you one thing if I run into her again, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind. Imagine kicking us all out just because we were standing together. Who is she, the Queen of Smallville?"

"She's not like that," Clark explained. "She just got her feelings hurt. She's had a rough childhood."

Lois didn't look convinced, "Very few people have an easy life that doesn't excuse her being a jerk. And you, buster, had better keep your hands off me in the future."

"I'm sorry about that. She's not normally a jerk and she doesn't need a bunch of insensitive questions and her face plastered on TV to dredge up all the painful memories," directing that last part to Perry.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I hurt your girlfriend's feelings, but she's a legitimate source," Perry said.

"Clark is right about that though, Mr. White. It may not be wrong to ask for an interview, but if the person wants their privacy respected for a good reason, it's better to let them be."

"It doesn't work that way, kids. I still have to find faces to put on camera, privacy or no privacy." Perry changed the subject. "You know, Clark, your high school paper has developed quite a rep in the bug-eyed monster circles. If you're leaning more toward the supernatural in your future career, Lois, you should convince your father to let you come to Smallville and get a spot on their paper."

"For the hundredth time, Mr. White, journalism isn't my cup of tea."

"Why would you say that about my high school paper?" Clark asked Perry.

"Because I did, like, three minutes of research before I came to town. You think the editor would know something about the meteor shower?"

"How would I know?" Clark asked, not sounding very convincing to Lois.

" "Principal Authorizes New Gym Mats" by Clark Kent. I know I was riveted," Perry said by way of answer.

Lois snorted with laughter. "Now that I have to read," she said, earning her a glare from Clark. She was also surprised and impressed by Perry. Perry had done his research. She wondered if he had looked up information on her like he had looked up information on the town and like she had looked up information on Perry. She didn't like it but maybe Perry was right and she did have a future as a journalist. She certainly had a lot in common with Perry.

sss

Clark hurried ahead to attempt to explain the coming intrusion to Chloe but didn't quite make it.

"Chloe!" Lois said.

"Lois?" Chloe echoed in disbelief.

"You two know each other?" Clark and Lois said at the same time.

"Lois is my cousin," Chloe explained.

"Small world, huh, Smallville? At least in Smallville anyway."

Chloe looked at Clark in confusion at her overuse of Smallville.

"It's a long story," Clark said. "I think we should go."

Perry had been perusing the wall of weird while the reunion scene was happening, "Boy, I thought our stuff was off the wall. This is incredible."

"It's also all true," Chloe said with a hint of pride.

"Chloe. Mr. White is interested in the meteor shower. I didn't think it would hurt if he had a look," Clark said apologetically.

"I have nothing to hide," Chloe answered.

Lois looked at the wall too. "Wow, this stuff is off the wall, cuz."

"I think we've already borrowed two or three of your ideas for our show. Do you make it all up yourself, or do you pull in other writers?" Perry asked.

"Excuse me?" Chloe asked in an offended tone.

"Oh, just, uh, professional curiosity. It's not every day that I meet another junk journalist with a penchant for the bizarre."

"My cousin is hardly a junk journalist," Lois defended. "If she says this stuff happened, I'm sure it did."

"XStyles?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Perry affirmed

"I have a penchant for the truth, something your freaks and shrieks cable show gave up around episode two," Chloe said.

"Oooh." Perry said.

"That's it. We're done," Clark said.

"You have to admit even if the wall of weird is true, it's pretty hard to swallow," Lois said, taking up for Perry this time. "Mr. White does look for the truth, despite the place where he works. Why don't you do a little research on Perry White's work?" She knew how much it hurt Perry's pride as a reporter that he wasn't working for a legitimate show. She and Perry were kindred sprits and therefore had instinctively developed a natural protectiveness each other. And besides that, if his feelings were hurt, and he was sensitive about his current job, it lead him to drink and as last night had proven, that wasn't a good thing.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. You're *the* Perry White?" Chloe said suddenly sounding somewhat sorry.

"This tour will pick later, Clark," Perry said.

Lois followed him out, knowing that despite his bravado comment, he was heading out to get drunk. She had to keep him out of as much trouble as possible.

sss

"What are you doing here?" Clark asked Lois, who was standing outside the bar.

"Waiting for Mr. White to finish getting drunk. You do know he was a great reporter once, don't you? He's worked for a lot better papers then your little high school paper."

"I know it now. Why did he quit?"

She shrugged. "I haven't been able to get it out of him, but I guarantee you it wasn't because XStyles suddenly seemed tempting."

"Maybe I can talk to him."

"I doubt it, but go ahead."

Clark went inside.

"Mr. White, I've been looking for you."

"And here I am. You may have the makings of a reporter yet, Kent."

"Like you used to be? Chloe and I did some checking after you left."

"Memories fade, but a Google search never forgets."

"And another drink isn't gonna erase the fact that you used to be one of the best reporters in Metropolis. What happened?"

"Life is a journey, grasshopper, and sometimes the trip is smoother with a little lubricant. What's it to you, anyway?"

"Maybe it's the journalist in me, or that I realized if you have a gift, you shouldn't turn your back on it. "

"Hmm. I made exactly two mistakes in my life, kid. The first was getting into journalism."

"What was the second?"

"Thinking it mattered. One more," he told the bartender.

"No, he's had enough," Clark said.

"I don't get you, kid. I strong-armed your parents, picked on your girlfriend, and ticked off your lady editor. And still, here you are trying to play the hero."

"Sometimes Clark's faith in his fellow man outweighs his common sense," said Lex, butting into the conversation.

Lois had also joined them.

"Lex?" Clark said, wondering what he was doing there.

"It's all right, Clark. I'll deal with Mr. White from here," he said in a take-charge way.

"I may have underestimated you, kid," Perry said, looking to Clark.

"Clark doesn't have anything to do with this," Lex said.

"Look, Lex, if this is your old man's idea, tell him I got the message back in Metropolis. I have no intention of revisiting the past," Perry told him.

"This isn't about my father, White, it's about you," Lex said.

"Lex, don't you think you're overreacting?" Clark asked.

"Considering the way he went after Lana, I thought you'd admire my restraint. Let's go," Lex said to Perry.

"Oh, please," Lois said out loud. What was it with this Lana girl? Did she have the whole town under a spell? She had obviously went crying on this jerk's shoulder. A fact that would also probably be overlooked by Clark, but at least, he recognized Lex's response as overreacting. "He did not go after her. He just wanted a story from her, freedom of the press and all that jazz. And it's not like he's bothered her again. Now why don't you go fry some other fish?"

"No," Perry said. "I would like to talk to Junior here in private."

Clark and Lois moved, so they could talk.

"You know, this "get out of dodge" routine is pretty heavy-handed, even for a Luthor," Perry said.

"So is ambushing a teenage girl for a sound bite. Of course, using people always came easy to you," Lex said.

"You know, our one and only encounter was years ago."

"Even in boarding school, I was good at sniffing out reporters, but you played the "just a friendly conversation" card remarkably well."

"I was just doing my job, and you were a legitimate source."

"I was 16 and you were scrounging for dirt on my father."

"That's what this is really about, isn't it? Your father's secrets."

"If you really had anything on him, it would have come out then."

Perry laughed. "If you actually believe that, I almost feel sorry for you."

"Just make sure you're on the four o'clock bus."

"Well, so much for not drinking before five."

sss

"Mr. Kent. You want to tell me how your tractor wound up scattered over two lanes of county blacktop?" Sheriff Adams asked.

"Yeah, uh, we were pulling up to the farm in our truck, and saw somebody had put it on the back of a flatbed," Jonathan explained.

"So you're saying this someone was stealing it?" the sheriff wanted to clarify.

"Well, I tried to follow them. By the time I got here, it must've fallen off their truck," Clark said.

"I'm telling you, it fell out of the sky." Perry insisted.

"And last night you were begging the nurses to keep the flying monkeys out of your room," came the sheriff's sarcastic dismissal.

Lois was puzzled for a moment. She didn't remember anything about flying monkeys. He had said something about dogs. "I get it, Kansas humor."

"You watch your mouth, young lady," Sheriff Adams said.

"Kid, you're saying you had nothing to do with this," Perry said to Clark.

"To be honest, Sheriff, I'm not sure what happened," Clark told her.

"Well, he's hiding something, Chief," Perry said.

"Mr. White, there's another bus in about an hour. I suggest you and your assistant catch it. And don't call me chief. I'm getting tired of your smart city mouths," the sheriff said to the both of them.

sss

"We're going to see my cousin again?" Lois asked as they stood outside the door of the high school paper.

"I have a feeling not every stone has been unturned here yet."

"Wise decision coming inside, Mr. White. The weather service expects a light shower of threshing machines followed by a drizzle of combines," Chloe said.

"Guess I deserve that," Perry said.

"What are you looking for, I'm sure I could help you find it," Chloe offered.

"And why would you want to do that?" Perry wanted to know.

"Because you're with my cousin and because you were once the kind of reporter that I would like to be. Though, I'm-I'm curious how one goes from multiple Pulitzer nominations to walking the Bigfoot beat," Chloe said.

"You know the only thing that's worse than never landing that story of a lifetime?" Perry asked.

"What?" Chloe asked.

"Having it and being afraid to write it," Perry said.

"Perry "The Pit Bull" White backing off a story? That's hard to believe," Chloe said.

"Well, Lionel Luthor can be remarkably persuasive," he informed her.

Lois shook her head. "I'm sure he can be if he's anything like his son, rich with a not so sunny disposition."

"Are you saying Lionel had something to do with your career slide?" Chloe asked.

"Let's just say that not everyone respects good investigative journalism. Isn't that the Kent farm?" he asked, pointing to one of the pictures.

"Uh, good eye. The police chalked it up to hyperactive frat boys going crop circles on the barn. Why?" Chloe asked.

"Call it professional interest. Your friend Clark intrigues me," Perry said. He took off before Chloe could ask him what he meant by that.

Lois shrugged as Chloe looked toward her questioningly. "He doesn't intrigue me. I'm just following the journalist around." Then she followed Perry out the door.

sss

"Morning, Clark." Perry said.

"What are you two still doing here?" Clark asked.

"You're right, Perry. Small town friendliness is greatly overrated."

"I didn't mean it like that," he said, a little embarrassed. He looked at Perry, "At least not in your case. Why haven't you left, Mr. White?"

"You inspired me. If you've got a gift, you should use it, remember?"

"You're drunk," Clark stated.

"Maybe. Nonetheless, I finally found my story."

"I think you had a better story with those meteor creators," Lois told Perry.

"For some insane reason, you've decided the better story is me," Clark said. "Chloe told me. I don't think it's funny."

"Oh, it's not a joke, Clark. I got the facts to back it up."

"What kind of facts are those?" Clark asked.

"The accident, the power lines, your magical appearance as your family tractor drops out of the sky."

"I explained that," Clark said. Lois could see he was trying hard to stay patient.

" "It fell off a truck." That's not an explanation, that's a punch line. I spent the morning combing through police records and newspaper stories. You're Johnny on the Spot, Clark. You're Smallville's own hero on deck."

"Look, Mr. White, maybe you're right about his hero complex but do you honestly think he could toss a tractor. People tend to see things that aren't true when they're very drunk," Lois said, trying to help Clark and make Perry see reason.

"Lois is right. Trust me, Mr. White, there's nothing special about me."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, kid. So far I got you pegged as really strong and shock-resistant. The question is, what other tricks have you got up your sleeve?

"Clark? Clark, could you give me a hand?" Clark's mother called.

Lois recognized a save when she saw one. It made her wish she had a caring mother like Clark, or a caring father like Mr. Kent for that matter.

"I've gotta go," Clark said, before taking off.

"I've been stonewalled by the best of 'em! He can run, but he can't hide..." Perry told Lois.

sss

"When they told me you and your assistant were at the gate, I could hardly believe it," Lex said.

"Yeah, you and me both. I just thought we should talk," Perry said.

"We have nothing to talk about," Lex said.

"Oh. Sorry to hear that. Now, I guess you'll never find out what I have on your father."

Lois' interest perked. She couldn't help but be intrigued by the story that ended Perry's career.

"If it's personal, I don't care. If it's legal, the statute of limitations must've passed long ago," Lex said.

"That depends."

"If this information is so damning, why did my father stop at simply destroying your career?" Lex wanted to know.

"Multiple copies, plus multiple attorneys all with, in the event of my death, instructions to disseminate- well, you do the math. It's all yours. I just want one thing in return," Perry said.

"What did you have in mind?" Lex asked, getting interested at the bargain he was about to make.

"Everything you know about Clark Kent," Perry said.

"Clark," Lex repeated.

Lois shut her eyes in frustration. He was going to give a big story like that away for a delusion he had about Clark Kent.

"Yeah. Two years ago, you drove your Porsche off a bridge. I went over the police photos, Lex. There's no way you could have walked away from that crash without the miracle that is Clark Kent. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that you'd actually cultivated a friendship with this kid."

"So now you're going after Clark. This is a new low, even for you," Lex sneered.

"The Lex I knew wouldn't shake your hand without an ulterior motive. You must have something. Give it to me, and I'll deliver you a story that'll bring new meaning to the phrase "sins of the father."" Perry said.

"You may have been able to neutralize my father, but not me!" Lex said.

"Looks like the jungle living really took a toll—" Perry started to say.

"I'm warning you. Stay away from me, and stay away from my friends. Trust me, there won't be any blood on my hands when they find what's left of you."

"Charming man," Lois said sarcastically as they left the premises. "He seems to have some measure of loyalty, I'll give him that but I don't doubt that the loyalty would disappear in the right circumstances. He's too self-serving."

"That's the Luthors to a tee. You're a good judge of character. We'd better hurry. The camera crew should be arriving any moment."

sss

The camera crew had come to get some footage of Clark. Lois sat in the vehicle while the intrusion took place, not wanting to be a party to it. She heard Mrs. Kent call after Clark.

"Clark! Clark, come back!" Martha called.

"He's moving! Come on, let's go! Keep it rolling, I want it all on tape! " Perry shouted. Lois was more positive than ever that reporting didn't thrill her in the least, at least not the kind that intruded on a nice family's privacy.

"Clark is not here. And he's not coming back until you people are gone. So why don't you just leave my family alone?" Mr. Kent told them.

sss

"Have we come to pester the meteor girl again? What happened to finding Clark?" Lois asked as they finished their nonalcoholic drinks in the Talon.

"It's not pestering, Lane. It's reporting. Besides, I just want her to give us a ride to the bus station. I'm done with Clark."

Lois raised her eyebrows. She didn't think for a minute that he was done in Smallville and she thought it was awfully strange that out of all the people he could have asked, he chose Lana, but they hadn't exactly made a ton of friends. "I don't think she will, but you're the boss."

"I'll see that she does."

"We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone," Perry said, reading the sign.

"I think you'd be more comfortable at the Wild Coyote," Lana said bitingly.

"Well, I was till they threw me out," Perry replied.

"Either way, I'd like you both to leave," Lana said.

"Sometimes I let my enthusiasm for a story outweigh my good sense," Perry admitted.

"Is that your idea of an apology? " Lana wanted to know.

"No, no, look, look, I-I-I- Okay, okay, okay, I'm a jerk, and I've got the broken engagements and the sleepless nights to prove it." Perry said.

"If your job bothers you so much, why don't you stop?" Lana asked.

"Because I'm a journalist. It's in my blood. And sometimes you have to push to get the truth, even when it hurts," Perry told her.

"Well, if you're both finished, I'm gonna call you a cab," Lana informed them.

"They won't come. It's a little issue over nonpayment of fares. But I'll make you a deal," Perry told her.

Lois knew it was a lie. They had been paying their fare. She wondered why he wanted Lana to drive them so badly.

"Mr. White—" Lana began.

"I will trade permanently staying out of your life for a ride to the bus stop," Perry said, giving her an offer she couldn't refuse.

"Let me get my coat," Lana said, agreeing.

"I have to hand it to you, Mr. White, you did it," Lois told him as Lana went to get it.

15 minutes later found Perry on the ledge, a hysterical Lana, and a mildly concerned Lois.

"Lana, you okay?" Clark asked, arriving on the scene with Pete after the phone call Lana had made.

Lois shook her head in disgust. A man was on the ledge and all he could think about was Lana's safety. Not to mention, she had treated him like dirt the last time they'd seen each other.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But- I was driving him and his assistant to the bus stop and he pretended to be sick. I pulled over, and he ran out to the viewpoint and got out on the ledge and said he would kill himself unless I called you," Lana informed Clark.

"I don't think he really means it about killing himself," Lois said, "but he won't let go of the idea that you're some kind of super powered farm boy."

"Look, Clark, be careful. He's really drunk," Lana warned.

"Not unless iced tea packs a punch," Perry said. "I knew you'd never show for me, so I-I had to trick Lana into making the call."

"Mr. White, don't do this." Clark begged.

"See, the way I figure it, you're strong, you're shockproof, you're incredibly fast. Plus you're cursed with this hero complex."

"Yeah, why don't you come back down on the deck and we'll talk about that." Clark said

"No. Not till I have my story.

"Mr. White, this is taking it too far," Lois said, starting to get a little nervous. "He's obviously just a good old-fashioned hick from Nowheresville. I mean look at the boy. No person with powers like that would wear a plaid shirt and drive a tractor."

"Thank you, Lois," Clark said less than sincerely. He didn't know why it bothered him that all she saw was normal when she looked at him. It should make him happy that at least one of these newcomers did. "Look, you're wrong about me, Mr. White."

"I'm betting you'll save me, Clark," Perry said.

"No, I can't save you!" Clark said, beginning to lose his calm.

"Well, I guess we'll find out, huh?" Perry asked.

Perry suddenly jumped and Clark jumped after him, sending up screams and shouts from Lana and Lois. Lois, Lana, and Pete hurried to the ledge. Perry had tied a rope to his ankle, so they hadn't fallen to their death, but they weren't going to be able to hold up forever.

"Okay, fun's over. Time to unleash those incredible powers there, Clark," Perry said.

"I don't have any powers! Pete! The camping gear, there should be a rope!" Clark shouted.

"Okay!" Pete answered.

"Hold on, Mr. White! Hurry!" Lana called.

"Give me your hand, kid," Perry said. He held out his hand for Clark, so he could pull him up.

Pete threw the rope down.

"This rope isn't going to hold," Lois said.

"Come on! Grab the rope!" Lana shouted to Pete.

Pete tied the rope to his car and began to drive.

"Hang on, kid," Perry told Clark.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Clark pleaded to Perry.

Lana screamed as Clark slipped.

"Hang on, kid. Whoa! Oh...," the rope wasn't going to last much longer.

"Go! Go! Good! Keep going! Come on!" Lana said, putting her cheerleader skills to use.

Clark started to slip.

"Hurry!" Clark pleaded again.

"All right now..." Perry said. He was almost up now.

"I can't hang on much longer!" Clark warned.

Lois grabbed Perry's hands, pulling him all the way up, and Perry pulled Clark up until they were all safe on solid ground.

Perry saw Clark's scraped hands, and knew he didn't have a story.

sss

"Clark, breakfast is almost ready," Martha called.

"Great. I'll be down in a second."

"So you're sure everything's okay now?" Martha asked.

"Once the effects of the solar flare faded, everything went back to normal."

"Including your sense of humor," she commented, as her son played with a stack of hay. Lana came in. "Hi, Lana. This is a surprise."

"Mrs. Kent, I hope I didn't come at a bad time," Lana said.

"No, not at all. Clark, I'll keep a plate warm for you," Martha said.

"Bye," Lana said as Mrs. Kent headed to the kitchen.

"Hey, Lana. You know, I was gonna stop by the Talon later. With all the craziness, I didn't get a chance to thank you."

Lois had come to talk to Clark, but she saw Lana had beaten her to it. She decided to wait out of sight until they were done.

"Well, I still don't understand why Mr. White thought you could do all those incredible things. But I'm glad I was able to help." Lana said.

"You know, I wasn't just talking about the gorge. Whether I meant to or not, I helped dredge up all your old memories about the meteor shower. I wanted to thank you for forgiving me."

Lois had to agree that Lana had played her part at the gorge but why was there a need to forgive Clark? He hadn't dredged up the memories. She wished that Clark would get a backbone and not apologize for things he didn't do. If only she had more time, she'd be glad to help teach him that with their verbal sparring.

"Well, that's part of the reason why I came by. I went to the graveyard this morning," Lana said, instead of telling him he didn't need to thank her.

"I bet your parents were happy to see you."

"Suddenly I realized I hadn't been there for months. At first I felt guilty, you know, like I'd done something wrong. But then I realized that that is the last thing they would've ever wanted for me."

"So what did you tell them?"

"The truth. That I never meant to ignore them, but...there's someone else in my life now, someone I really care about."

"Lana—" Clark began.

Lois was ready to gag. There was something subtly twisted about this relationship.

"Clark. It's okay. I also told them that we were in a kind of strange place right now. But I am still hoping that we can work it out. The important thing is, they know they will always be in my thoughts. I better go."

Lois thought that last sentence was one of the first intelligent things Lana had said since she had known her. She waited for Lana to go before she went up to Clark.

She forced a smile. "I see you patched things up with your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend,"

"Well, she will be before it's over. I just came by to assure you we're really leaving this time."

He smiled.

"Don't cry about it or anything."

"I'll try to hold back the tears," he said still smiling. "Seriously though, you should come back once and awhile. Just to see your cousin and uncle."

"I'll think about it."

An uncomfortable silence descended.

She suddenly punched his arm. He put a hand to the spot. He couldn't explain it but it felt affectionate, and it surprised him just how much he liked it. She had crashed into his life literally and now she was going out of it almost as quickly. "Why don't I give you both a ride to the bus station?"

She grinned. "That would be nice."

sss

"Thanks again for the ride," Perry said.

"It's the only way I could be sure you two made it on the bus. And that, Lois, is something I want to be sure of in your case," Clark teased.

"Yeah, right. You just want to make sure you spend every moment you can with me."

"You really are kind of a freak, you know that?" Perry said before he could respond to Lois' statement.

"Mr. White—

"I'm serious. You try to help people, even fools like me, and you never ask for anything in return. When I saw your face up there after it was all over, I suddenly realized I was about to tear down a good person. I just couldn't believe there was actually anyone like you out there." Perry said.

"Trust me, Mr. White, I'm not that good," Clark said.

"I believe you," Lois said with a smile.

Clark frowned at her. He didn't know how she managed to get under his skin like she did and remain so fascinating at the same time.

"Well, I'm just glad nobody got hurt. Chalk it up to hallucinations or the DTs. All I know is, I got a wakeup call. I am, uh, exactly 17 hours and 5 minutes sober." Perry said.

"Well, I'm glad some good came out of all this. So what's next?" Clark asked

"Well, if you found the guts to go over that cliff, maybe I can find the courage to finish the one story I let go."

"Something tells me the world hasn't seen the last of Perry White," Clark said.

"Something tells me you're right. Rumor has it I still have a friend or two on the Daily Planet. Oh, uh, by the way, I, uh, I went over a couple more of your Torch stories."

"And?" Clark asked.

"Well, they're rough, and half the time you buried the lead, but I see a glimmer of hope. If you ever make it to Metropolis, look me up. I owe you one." Perry said. "And you, Lois, need to get back to school tomorrow."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"School is a necessary evil if you're going to be a reporter one day. I know it wasn't an easy 2 weeks with me, but I hope you still had a good learning experience."

Lois was tired of Perry's insistence that she was going to go into journalism, so she ignored it and responded only to the last part. "It was certainly a learning experience, Mr. White."

"Lois," Clark said. "I meant what I said about visiting your cousin once in a while. Metropolis isn't that far from Smallville you know."

"We'll see, Smallville. Who knows what the future might hold?"

Perry smiled and answered Lois' question for the both of them. "I do. Rivals or lovers, mark my words. And if I have any journalistic instinct at all, I'm betting on both."

The End


End file.
